L'intermedio
by The Pistol Star
Summary: The Thief Lord has been exposed as a fraud, but just when everything seems at it's lowest he meets someone who turns everything around. ScipxOC, PropxHornet implied. Tiny little bit of violence. Read and review per favore? I'd love some input.
1. uno

**Chapter 1**

Scipio wandered the streets alone. What was he to do now? All he had left was his wicked father and military school to look forward to. He breathed a heavy sigh, and was contemplating losing himself to Canal Grande when a booming voice brought his attention to the end of the alley down which he walked.

"Venire qui, o taglierò la sua gola!!" he heard a deep voice call to some unseen offender. Scipio hardly had time to react when a young girl came bounding down the alley towards him.

"MOVE!!!" she shouted. Her voice was filled with panic and thick with an Italian accent.

Startled, Scipio automatically shot out an arm, which snaked around her waist as she passed him. The gangly girl yelped in surprise as he pulled her back into a deep dark alcove of the alley, trying to steady her thrashing body. She didn't make much noise as she fought, but Scipio used his free hand to cover her mouth just in case. The scuffle was evenly matched, as she was only an inch or two shorter then he was, and seemed strong enough. But she could not use her arms in the struggle, as they were wrapped around a brown duffle bag.

"Silenzio!" he hissed into her ear, and was surprised to see her obey.

They both listened, the air palpable with anticipation. They waited with baited breath for the footsteps that soon pounded down the alleyway. Scipio waited until the footsteps were far away before releasing his grasp on the girl. She grunted loudly and pushed his body away from her own, now holding the brown duffle in one hand now.

"Prendere le sue mani via da me!" she yelled, all her earlier panic replaced with anger.

"Already done, mio caro." Scipio replied in his most arrogant of voices.

He was rather put off by her rudeness, believing that he had just done her a great favor.

The girl ignored his remark and crept to peer around the alcove corner into the alleyway.

"Whoever it was they're gone." he said, trying to regain composure by staring nonchalantly at his fingernails.

When she didn't reply to this, he risked a glance up at her. She was tall, for a girl, definitely of Italian decent, with long legs and long arms. Her hair was hardly even shoulder length and some dark color, indistinguishable in the unforgiving black of the night around them. Her clothes were rather ratty; as were the shoes she wore. She looked like an orphan to Scipio, but she held herself with a regal air, the kind that comes naturally to some people. She whirled around to face him.

"Now, were you planning to accost me again or can I be on my way?" she asked, tapping her foot impatiently on the stone ground.

"Depends," Scipio replied. "It sounds as though you've got someone out there who wants to kill you." He followed her as she stepped out of the alcove into the alley.

"Maybe so. What is it to you?" she asked, looking up and down the alley for any sign of people. He shrugged.

"Just wondering if there was anything more I could do to help." he replied. She laughed a bitter, short laugh.

"I don't need your help." she shot back, wrapping her arms tighter around the duffle. Scipio's eyes widened. "Don't need my help? Don't need my help! Who just saved you from….from…well I don't know what!" he crossed his own arms across his chest, trying to stare her down, but she wasn't paying attention to him anymore.

"VENIRE QUI RAGAZZA!!" the sinister voice came roaring down the alleyway.

The man was back, and the girl was frozen with fear. Scipio grabbed her upper arm and quickly began to pull her down the winding alley, away from the quickly approaching source of the voice.


	2. due

Chapter 2

Instincts brought Scipio back to the Stella. But now that he was knocking at the door, he doubted anyone would come to open it for him. The girl was looking frightened and annoyed simultaneously, and he had to wonder what she could possibly be thinking. After what seemed like hours, but was in truth only minutes, Prosper opened the door a crack.

"What do you want, rich boy?" he asked. As tough as he sounded, Scipio knew that this was not a part of himself that Prosper was comfortable with. Hornet stood just behind him, arms crossed and face drawn into a disapproving frown.

"Look, we need your help. There's a man chasing this girl around, I think I lost him at the Fondamenta de la Preson." He glanced at the girl, hoping that she would back him up somehow, but she didn't. He took a deep breath. "She needs somewhere to hide."

Prosper looked past Scipio, his look softening as he took in the sight of the girl. He turned his back to them, engaged in quiet discussion with Hornet. Scipio shifted uneasily from one foot to the other, worried. Their faces were impassible, and it wasn't until Prosper turned back to the door and opened it wide that Scipio gave out a sigh of relief.

"Fine, fine. Come on," he said, beckoning them in.

Scipio motioned for the girl to go before him, which she did. He had never felt more awkward or unsure then he did walking into the Stella right then. Bo peered down at him from the second level, while Mosca pretended to ignore his presence. Riccio was nowhere to be seen.

"So, what's the fuss?" Prop asked, as he entered the center of the room.

"I'm not really sure, I haven't had time to ask too many questions." Scipio replied.

Prosper raised an eyebrow, and then looked at the girl. He offered her a chair at the table, before sitting down himself.

"What's your name?" Prosper asked, as Hornet sat down between him and the girl.

"Alessandra." the girl replied.

"Just Alessandra?" Scipio asked, skeptically. Prosper shot him a dark look.

"Just Alessandra. But I'd prefer Alex." she replied sternly.

"Well, Alex, what brings you to our humble abode tonight?" Hornet asked, noticing the uncomfortable silence between Scipio and the new girl.

Alex turned to look at Hornet in disbelief.

"This boy, whoever he is. _He _brought me here!" she pointed to Scipio, who had taken a seat at the edge of the stage.

Hornet gave a disapproving look at this answer, to express that it was insufficient. But the girl named Alex didn't seem to care.

"So the real question is, what made him bring you here?" Prop reiterated, patiently.

"I was being chased, by a friend." Alex said, standing her ground.

"You call him a FRIEND?" Scipio nearly shouted out. "If that's a friend, I'd hate to meet your enemies." Alex's eyes got wide.

"Just drop it, will you?" she cried out "Per favore?" she looked ready to slap him, if it meant that he'd be silent.

Scipio quickly obeyed, chastened by her tone. Hornet and Prosper gave each other a meaningful look, before turning to Alex.

"Look, you can stay here, at the Stella, if you'd like. We've got plenty of food, and you'll be safe here." Prop said. Alex looked around the large, open theater.

"I haven't got any money." Alex said quickly, unsure as to whether that would negate their offer.

Nobody had noticed little Bo who had crept down from his second level perch to stand in the dark shadows by the stage.

"She could take care of me!" he cried, stepping into the light.

"Bo! You need to stop listening in on people's conversations." Prosper scolded. Bo pretended to look sheepish, climbing into his brother's lap. "You can stay, whether or not you've got money." Prosper said, looking back at Alex, and then looking down at Bo, whose face was scrunched into a pleading shape. He laughed at the blond child, "You can take care of Bo, I suppose. He's a handful, I must warn you." Alex smiled, the first smile any of them had seen from her.

"I think I can manage that." She said.

Scipio was sure they would kick him out immediately. But they were all too enthralled with the new girl to take notice of him. So he tried to sneak out quietly. But before he could get to the door Alex cut him off.

"You've dropped me off, now you're going to run?" she asked.

Her ragged and dirty clothes had been replaced with cleaner ones; a shirt that was a bit too small for her (definitely one of Hornet's who was quite a bit younger and less developed then Alex) and pants that were too large, boy's pants.

"It's more complicated then that." Scipio replied, hanging his head a little.

"Illuminarme." she said. But he shook his head.

"I'd best be going," he said.

Alex didn't move. She looked incredibly determined.

"Wait here. I'll be back." She disappeared around the hallway corner. Minutes later she was back with a jacket. "We'll walk, and you will tell me some history," she said, opening the door.

Scipio shrugged, having no real reason to say no. As they stepped outside into the chilly night, he turned to her.

"I'm Scipio, by the way." he said. Alex laughed.

"Good to know," she nodded, "now tell me what all the fuss is."

Scipio did just that. Everything from when Hornet brought Boniface and Prosper to the Star-Palace, to being exposed by Victor the sneak. By the time he was done, they were standing outside of house number 223 on the Fondamenta Bollani.

"Don't you understand why they're mad?" Alex asked, looking him straight in the eye.

Scipio tried to avoid eye contact, looking down at the cobblestone beneath him.

"Kind of. But you have to understand why I did it." he replied.

"I do understand, but that's not the case for the rest of them." she pulled her jacket tighter around her body.

"Well then, what's the difference? They've made up their minds." he sighed, stepping up to the doorway. Finally he allowed himself to meet her gaze.

"You never know. Things are always changing." Scipio caught the deeper meaning of what she said. Three hours ago was some whole other world from the present.

He smiled.

"Do you know how to get back from here?" he asked, suddenly realizing that he had just dragged the girl half a mile from the Stella, a place she had only been once before.

Alex looked behind her, trying to take in the place where she was now. Then she nodded.

"Senz'altro." She said, shrugging as if it were no big deal.

With those last words, they parted. But the tables had turned so drastically; the boy who had been without hope had found a little bit of light, and the Stella had gained another body.


	3. tre

Authors Note: This chapter may undergo further changes in the next week. I have two lovely Beta's who have been aiding me with this story, and this week only one of them was available to help with the following chapter. So I've decided to post the chapter, and when my second Beta gives me her suggestions I'll make changes accordingly. 

**P.S.** Thank you for the reviews. This is my first published FanFic, and it's nice to know that it's not a complete failure :o)

**P.P.S. **This is the chapter with the bulk of that teensy bit of violence I talked about in the description. Ye been warned!

Chapter 3 

The residents of the Stella woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs wafting through the wide main room.

"What is all this?" Mosca asked, coming down to the dining table, which was laden with plates of breakfast foods.

Just as Riccio, Hornet and Prosper reached the table, Alex came flouncing through the curtains of the stage with a pitcher of juice.

"Where on earth did you get it?" Prosper asked, sitting down to look at the food in front of him.

"What's it matter? It's delicious!" Bo cried out, as he followed behind Alex out of the curtain with clean plates and silverware.

"Bo and I already ate, you all can have the rest. Where I got it is irrelevant." she smiled, helping Bo set down the plates.

"Now, scusi, I'm going to wash up and change." And she swiftly left the room.

"Well, I'm sold. She stays." Mosca said in awe, heaping eggs onto his plate.

Riccio nodded, emphatically, his mouth full of pancake. Hornet seemed a little wary, picking at her food.

"We have more important things to think about then food: the break-in is still on for tomorrow."

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The group wouldn't see Alex again for the rest of that day. She had not left through the door, but still she was nowhere to be found. Bo was adamant that she would be back, so no one went looking for her.

Upon arriving at the Stella the night before, she had set up an area for herself in an empty box seat on the second floor in the right-most corner of the theater. Once upon a time, the Stella had been an Italian Opera House. Most seating boxes had been destroyed in the conversion to a modern movie theater, save for two adjacent boxes. None of the current residents used them, since the area in which they sat tended to be the coldest in the whole place. During the night, she had hung scraps of cloth on the walls for insulation, and filled the corner that opposed the doorway of the box with pillows and cushions --pilfered on an excursion through Venice-- after finding a hole in the roof of the Stella where an air conditioning unit had once sat. It was all very cozy, but she did not spend much time there. In the afternoon she snuck out to wander Venice again. The city was in a frenzy: Carnivale was coming. No one noticed a young girl wandering about the city, stealing bits of cloth where she could find them. By nightfall, Alex was tired, but she made one last stop. Outside the large stone mansion there were no ladders and no trees, so she was forced to climb the neighboring building. From a perch beside someone's idea of an antique stone gargoyle, she could see into the mansion across the way. She worried that her intended target wouldn't show up, but after a few seconds she saw him step into the hallway that she had full view of. Scipio's head hung low, and he walked slowly. Only a few steps behind him came an older man. She couldn't hear them from where she sat, but from the facial expressions she could see that the older man was shouting. As Scipio neared the end of the hallway, Alex was overtaken by a fear that she would be spotted. In one quiet movement she jumped down onto the marble banister of a balcony belonging to Scipio's house. She was not seen, but she quickly discovered what a bad move this was. The balcony had a door, which stood partially open and allowed her to see nearly all of the room within. She heard Scipio enter the room, followed by a loud bang on the door.

"Let me in, you little cretin!!" a booming voice issued from outside the door.

Alex watched Scipio leave her line of sight, to open the door she imagined must be there. She then watched as he was shoved backwards violently, somehow keeping his footing.

"You will not disobey me!" the voice shouted again, and she watched as the same man from before came into sight, looming over Scipio.

Though he did not cower, Alex could see the fear in his eyes. "It's what you want, but it's not for me." Scipio replied, solidly. The man, who Alex could only imagine was Scipio's father, was turning redder by the second.

"You will do as I say! I will not have you turning out like...like..."

"You?" Scipio said hotly.

From the ledge, Alex saw something snap in his father. There were no words, just a solid backhand across Scipio's jaw, with enough force to knock him to the ground. She couldn't help but gasp, and though he was sprawled out on the floor his eyes shot up to the balcony. Their eyes met, mirroring terror. Alex did not wait, jumping from the balcony to a jutting window sill beneath her, and from there to the cobbled street below. She ran all the way back to the Stella, not looking back once, sneaking back in through the hole in the roof. Back in her own room she took a few moments to compose herself, before flopping down onto her collection of pillows. A few moments turned into a few minutes, and in the dark of the Stella she fell asleep from sheer exhaustion, unable to cope with the events of that night.


	4. quattro

Chapter 4 

It was the low moan and crash from outside her room that woke Alex. Turning on the small lamp she had nicked in an All-Purpose store, she discovered Scipio standing outside of her little room, clutching his knee.

"Che è il significato di questo? What's the meaning of this?" Alex cried out.

"Sorry!" he cried, stepping further into the light so that his face was more illuminated.

He was paler then she'd ever seen him, partly out of fear and partly from pain she guessed. On his cheek was the beginning of a bruise, and Alex felt a pang of sympathy for him.

"Are you ok?" she asked, motioning to his knee. He shook his head, pulling his hand away. The knee of his pant leg was beginning to saturate with blood.

"Sit down. I'll be right back." She made her way to Hornet's small medical cabinet to gather bandages and peroxide. Back in the room, she had him sit down on the cushions of her bed and knelt down in front of him.

"Pull up your pant leg, eh?" she said, setting everything down beside her. Scipio complied, with a pained look on his face. "How'd you get in here?" she asked, pouring the peroxide onto a length of gauze.

"There are ways...Oh!" he screwed up his eyes tight as she placed the gauze on his bloodied knee.

"Oh yes, I forgot, the elusive thief lord, ghost of Venice. You're acting like quite the baby." She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"There's an extra catch to the door system, I'm the only one who knows it, just take that off!" he cried out in a hushed whisper.

She smiled, but still removed the strip of gauze. Scipio relaxed his face a bit, and she fanned air onto his knee to relieve the pain of the peroxide.

"If you're such a successful spook, then why the hurt knee?" she asked, cutting another piece of gauze off the roll. He flinched a little.

"I'm not familiar with this part of the Stella. Besides, you're putting words in my mouth. I've never called myself a spook." he watched intently as she taped the gauze strip over his knee. He eyed her work carefully, examining it, and when he was satisfied he stretched his leg out.

"So, why are you really here?" she asked, shoving all the medical supplies into a far corner.

"I don't know," he lied. "It seemed like a good place to go."

Alex nodded, knowingly.

"Well, you can have my bed, for tonight, if you'd like." she said.

Scipio was a little surprised.

"Your bed? But don't you have to sleep in it?" he asked.

"No, I don't have to. Now I'm going to get a book. You take the bed, get some rest." she got up and left the room again.

Scipio shrugged to himself, deciding that it was better to go along then to fight her on this. He made sure to be careful when removing his pants so as not to ruin the perfectly good bandaging job she had done, then placed them in a pile near the foot of the bed. He nestled between the blankets and forced his eyes shut.

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When Alex returned to the little room, she assumed Scipio was asleep. He looked it. But as she sat down to read, she noticed his shoulders shaking. Setting down the book, she crawled to his side.

"You ok?" she asked, as he quickly put his hands over his face. He nodded, and if there ever was an unconvincing nod, this was it. She pulled on his shoulder gently, but firmly enough to roll him onto his back. He pulled his hands away to look for an intention in her action, and Alex could tell he had been crying.

"What's wrong?" she said, in a warmer tone then anything he had heard since he'd met her. His eyes welled up.

"Look at me, I'm nothing. My father says so my friends think so. I'm a fraud and everybody knows it now..." He pressed his face back into his hands and sobbed.

"Hey! Hey...don't say that." she placed her hand on his arm, sitting sideways next to him. Scipio may have heard, but it brought him no comfort. Alex put a hand on either side of his head, causing him to pull his hands away in surprise again.

"Look at me." she commanded, moving her face closer to his, 'til their noses were almost touching. "You are not nothing. You are not a fraud. You're father is not somebody whose opinion you should be valuing, and the _ladros_ just don't understand. Look what you've done for them. You've given them a home; you've kept them safe and fed. Nobody likes being lied to, but one day they will understand why you did it. They will forgive you." she reassured. The tears had stopped, as Scipio peered up at her with bloodshot eyes.

"You think you understand, do you?" he asked. Alex grinned.

"Che le cure? For whatever reasons you did it, you still did it. And naturally they will come to the conclusion that you did it for their betterment, whether you did or not. Il mio Dio, I can't imagine that you'd do it for any other reason." At this, he smiled back.

From this close proximity, Scipio could study her face, including her green eyes. They were bright, and yet dark at the same time. There was more working behind them then he could see in front of him. He wanted to look closer, but instead she kissed his forehead lightly and let go, returning to the book she had brought with her. He sighed, to himself, and turned back over. He didn't fall asleep immediately, as he felt her slip between the sheets next to him, sitting upright to read her book, but after a few minutes his eyes refused him any more time and he fell into an uneasy sleep. More then once, during the night, he would toss and turn in a fit of dreams or maybe even nightmares. Alex found that if she simply put her hand on his shoulder, or ran her fingers through his hair lightly, he would calm down considerably, and often move closer to her side.


	5. cinque

_Yes, it's back:o) After a long leave of absence I've taken back up with the story. I no longer have anybody to proofread the chapters, so forgive me if I tread roughly on some of the finer points of grammar now and again, I try though. _

_ This whole story is already written out, just so you know. The thing for me that takes time is formatting and all of those grammar-oriented things. Hopefully I can get through this quickly and stop being lazy :o) -Pip_

* * *

**Chapter 5**

It took him a few moments to remember that he was not in his own room. He was tempted to go downstairs in just his boxers, embarrassed by the bloody ripped knee of his pants, but pulled them on in hopes of making a better impression downstairs. He would soon find that this was unnecessary. There was a box of donuts on the dining table, and as it was late in the morning everybody was already to doing other things. Hornet and Mosca attempted a smile at Scipio as he came down into the main room, before going back to some kind of map they were drawing between them. Riccio was nowhere to be seen, but Scipio guessed he was upstairs sulking as usual. Alex, Prosper and Bo were spread out over the blood red theater seats. Bo and Alex seemed locked in an epic battle of Rock, Paper, Scissors while Prosper watched, sharing simple conversation with the two of them. Scipio grabbed a donut for himself, before walking over to the three in the seats.

"Welcome back, Scip!" Bo said, suddenly, with his sweet young smile. Scipio raised an eyebrow.

"Back?" he asked, directing this towards Prosper and Alex.

"Well, see, we had a talk." Prosper explained, shooting a quick look towards Alex who pretended not to notice, busying herself with Rock, Paper, Scissors. "We decided that it's really not a big enough deal to cast you out for, and seeing as how you've got nowhere else to go, what kind of people would we be if we didn't let you stay?" he smiled a bit.

Scipio wasn't quite sure what was going on, but decided to sit back and watch the game, and leave questions for later.

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Later came around Noon when Alex announced she'd be going out for a bit. Bo insisted that she bring him along, and while he was off getting his jacket she made her way for the door, where Scipio caught up to her.

"Don't try to tell me you had nothing to do with their big 'let him stay' decision," he told her, sternly. She only shrugged.

"Ok, I won't." she replied, continuing her trek towards the door. Scipio caught her by the arm. "But why'd you do it?" he asked, keeping a light hold on her wrist.

"Why not?" she asked, turning to face him, staring him straight in the eye. It had an almost crippling effect on him; his stomach suddenly tied into little knots and he kept his mouth closed for fear of stuttering out something stupid.

"I thought you deserved it, at least. But are you really going to complain? It took a lot of work." There was more she could have said, but she decided against it quickly. Scipio was silent for a moment, looking into her eyes.

"No. I just wanted to thank you...so..." he stuttered despite his best efforts not to, "thanks."

She smiled a bit, turning his insides warm.

"Benvenuto." she replied. They were silent, staring for a few more seconds, before Bo broke in.

"We're going to go now?" he asked, looking between the two of them. Scipio realized he still had his hand on her wrist, and let go. She flashed him another smile before turning to kneel down in front of Bo.

"Now, what is your purpose in coming with me?" she asked, straightening his jacket, buttoning it to it's highest button.

"Well, the others won't let me in on the break in, so I might as well come with you." he said, unbuttoning the topmost button as soon as she had righted herself. Alex looked up at Scipio again.

"Are you going to come with us?" she asked. Impulsively, he shook his head.

"No. I think I'll stay here. You guys be careful though, with the aunt and uncle still out there." he smiled at Bo, who smiled back.

"And you be careful too!" Alex said, in her best parental voice. "It took a lot of work to convince them to let you stay here, don't go ruining it with some fanciful ideas or arrogant talk." With that, she and Bo left. Scipio locked the door behind them, with a little laugh to himself.

Scipio took her advice, keeping to himself for most of the afternoon. Bo and Alex returned a few hours before the sun set, with several sub sandwiches underarm. When Scipio heard her announce dinner he headed downstairs, only to run into her on her way up.

"Here. For you." she pushed a plastic bag into his hands. Inside was a new pair of jeans. "If they're the wrong size, I apologize. I'm not good at guessing." she.

He was expecting nothing of this sort, and was a little bit stunned. He managed to get out "grazi" before she turned around and headed back down the stairs. Scipio took himself upstairs to change, excited to find that the pants fit perfectly. When he came down for food, he saw Alex smile.

"See Bo, I told you I'd get it right," she said, sticking her face down close to his.

"Bravissimo." He squeaked between bites of his sandwich, making her laugh. Scipio only nodded and sat down at the table. As he did, everyone else seemed to stand up and leave, everyone except Bo and Alex, who sat across from him.

"Don't take it personally. They've just got some big plans to be going over." She said, pushing a sandwich toward him. He nodded, lost in different thoughts.

* * *

Bo and Prosper had gone up to bed by 8 o'clock, leaving Alex and Scipio in the main room. The others had taken to the cold but empty concession hall of the Stella to continue making plans. Alex was occupied with sewing some sort of skirt together, while Scipio attempted to read. After only a few minutes, he stood up, agitated.

"You going somewhere?" Alex asked, looking up from her sewing.

"Just taking a break, resting my eyes you know?" he lied. But she only laughed.

"Yes, staring at the same page for ten minutes must be a strain in the eyes." she went back to her sewing, as he attempted to shrug off the realization that she had been watching him.

"I'm going to take a walk." He announced. Alex looked up again, leaning her head to the side with a curious look on her face.

"Oh yeah? What for?" She asked. He shrugged, as he pulled on his coat. "Not going for a walk to fetch a certain mask, possibly?" Scipio already had his back turned to her, but he knew that his body posture gave away his surprise. He didn't turn around, though.

"I'll be back," he promised.

"I'll be waiting." Alex replied. So off he went.


	6. sei

Chapter 6 

"Alex! Come see what we've got!" Prosper yelled from downstairs.

The bustle that the group had made coming back into the Stella had been enough to wake her up, but Prop's beckoning did manage to get Alex out of her bed.

Downstairs, there was something unusual about the sight of everyone crowded around the dining table. She wasn't surprised to see Mosca, Riccio, and Hornet there, looking a little ragged. Not even the sight of Scipio, clutching his famed black mask, surprised her. But Prosper was there, sitting at the table and dressed like he'd been out, and Hornet was carrying a sleeping Bo. There was also another person there, a grown-up who she had never seen before.

"Moncato il partito?" she asked, putting her hands on Prosper's shoulders, looking over his head at the large something they had laid on the table.

She looked up and caught Scipio's eye, but he instantly looked away.

"It's a wing." Mosca explained; he pulled back the blanket that had been covering it.

"Just like the letter said." Scipio added, walking around the table. Alex had since let go of Prosper's shoulders, and gone up to Hornet to retrieve Bo.

"I told you it was a lions wing," he mumbled, before falling back asleep in her arms.

"Oh yes?" she raised an eyebrow at the group.

"It's a really long story-" Riccio attempted to say, stifling a huge yawn.

"Long enough to wait until tomorrow?" Alex asked, considering the whole group. There was an overwhelming show of support for this idea, and it was then that the strange woman cleared her throat.

"Oh!" exclaimed Hornet, looking rather embarassed.

"Alex, this is Ida. Ida this is Alex. Ida is the owner of the wing, and she's agreed to let us take it to the Conte." she explained.

Alex merely smiled and nodded politely at the blonde woman, who smiled back.

"I suppose I best be going, you all seem to be well set up in here. I'll be back tomorrow morning so that we can visit the Sister who gave me that wing." Ida pointed at the wooden masterpiece on the table.

The rest of the group nodded, and while Scipio went to see Ida out, the majority of the group headed off to their respective beds. On his way back Scipio paused at the stairs to look back at Alex.

"Coming?" he asked. She still held Bo, and Prosper was still sitting in his chair.

"Staying?" she retorted, softly. He shrugged and headed up the stairs, unsure of a good response to her question.

"Do you want me to take him?" Prosper asked, finally breaking out of his staring battle with the wing. She shook her head and walked towards the stairs.

"I'm surprised that he followed them there. I had thought he might," she said, reaching the first step.

"Who? Scip?" Prosper asked, getting out of his seat and following her as she ascended the stairs.

"No. Bo. I had no doubts about Scipio," she replied as they reached the first landing and headed to the left.

They were sure to be extra quiet when they reached Prop and Bo's sleeping area, and while Alex tucked little Bo into his bed, Prosper got undressed.

"If you had said something, he would have stayed," he said, pulling his shirt up over his head and off.

"I have no control over Scipio, and I have no good reason for wanting any." she sounded defensive, and Prosper could only grin.

"I meant Bo."

* * *

_"Moncato il partito?" -"Did I miss the party?"_


	7. sette

**Chapter 7**

Scipio was sleeping in her bed when Alex got up to the box several minutes later.

"Ladro" she whispered under her breath, and debated whether she should attempt to stay up for a third night in a row. That idea was quickly abandoned, destroyed by good sense, and Alex slid quietly under the blanket next to the sleeping boy.

Unlike the night before, Scipio slept more soundly, only mumbling in his sleep once or twice. Alex slept soundly until the first rays of light came through the air vents of the old theater.

* * *

The next morning everyone was up earlier then usual, despite the fact that they had all gone to sleep much later then usual. They awaited the arrival of Ida, anxious to learn the story of the five million lire wooden wing that now sat on the edge of the stage in the Stella. 

Ida arrived on time as promised, and as the rest of the group piled out of the Star-Palace, Scipio noticed that Alex was not following. "Aren't you coming?" he asked, going back into the main room. She stood in front of the wing, staring at it, clearly wrapped inside her own thoughts. She shook her head, as if to dispel the thoughts from her head physically.

"No, I've got other plans." she said, as she walked past him towards the door.

He followed, but instead of going outside she just ushered him out the door, where the rest of the group was waiting for their once-leader. Scipio stared as Alex leaned against the doorjamb, smiling at them.

"You have to come!" little angelic Bo cried out, running up to her and clinging to her jacket. She stroked his blonde hair softly and grinned.

"I have other business to attend to, besides if I go there will be no one to tell your story to." she watched as Bo backed away resignedly, straight into Prosper's protective hold.

"Mind your brother. Don't be too late, all of you, don't worry me to death." Riccio and Mosca nodded in respect of her motherly attitude, though Hornet was too busy conversing with Ida. Bo had already taken to skipping down the alley, while Prosper and Scipio shared similar hesitant looks. Despite their inability to comprehend Alex's reasoning for staying behind, the two boys and everyone else left. Alex kicked around inside of the old Star-Palace for a while, before quietly leaving for the heart of the city.

When they returned in the afternoon to find Alex waiting for them, there was quite a ruckus. Bo was spouting fabulous tales of a merry-go-round and unicorns and men who became boys and vice versa. While they had been away, Alex had laid out the dining table with tons of fruits and sweet breads, and so for the first time that day they sat down for a meal.

"We've got to release Sophia today, to contact the Conte." Mosca reminded the table.

Most of them nodded, some of them merely continued eating.

"We should release her somewhere high, to give her the best chance of finding her master." Mosca noted.

"Il campanile di San Marco." Alex suggested.

"Perfect!" Scipio said, smiling. They were all agreed on it.

"Now that Bo has regaled me with some very out-there stories of a magical Merry-go-Round, would somebody like to tell me about last nights _avventura_." Quickly, a chorus of voices rose from all sides of the table.

* * *

"...then we brought it home and woke you up. The end." Bo finished, with a definite look of pride. 

"Incredibile" Alex said, giving Bo's shoulder an affectionate squeeze.

As they walked toward San Marco's square, Scipio observed both Bo and Alex casting long glances at the four golden horses that marked the entrance. He made no remark, but grinned to himself. At the campanile, Alex stopped.

"Scipio will wait down here, with me." she said, quickly shooting the look of wanted compliance at Scipio, and touching his arm slightly.

The others didn't seem to notice all that much, except Prosper who carried the woven basket. He looked back at the two before entering the campanile, and though Scipio tried not to he knew he had responded with a rather defiant face. What was so defiant about the action of staying behind with Alex, Scipio did not know.

"Why did you keep me back?" he asked, turning to Alex who was kicking a pebble around the cobbled stone.

She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, to keep out the cold.

"Company." she replied.

"Well then why didn't you go too? We could have both gone." he rolled his eyes.

"Don't like heights." she replied airily, staring hard at the ground and at the pebble.

There was a short, stunned silence from Scipio, as he watched her kick the pebble once more.

"Says the girl who climbed all the way to my window," he said. It was the first time he had talked about that night, first time he had made any mention of what she had seen, and Alex took much effort in trying to conceal her surprise. Scipio sensed her shock.

"Oh don't look at me like that!" he said, turning away from her. He jammed his hands into his pockets and hung his head.

"I wasn't giving any special look," she said, standing just a step behind him, with his back still turned to her.

Scipio sighed desperately.

"What can I do? Huh? I have no home." Sadness rose in his voice.

"You have the Star-Palace." Alex reminded, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"For how long? Five million lire will last, for a while. But I'm not a real thief, I can't keep them clothed and fed forever," he turned to her, head still hung. Alex put her slender hand under his chin, fingers up, to lift his eyes to the level of hers.

"You've done all you can. They can't live under your shadow forever, you know, and they shouldn't. Soon they'll come into their own, and things will be okay," her voice was quite soft, and Scipio was inclined to believe her.

"How do you know?" he voiced the bit of doubt he had.

"Things always are. Even when you think they're not." was all she replied.

But the words were comforting, to Scipio at least. Alex knew in her heart that he was right, there might not always be jobs, and what with no rich father to steal from, her own resources running out; what if the Stella were to be sold, and the group found out? But she tried to look confident, for Scipio.

There was so little he understood about the real world, yet so much pain he had already received from it. The bruise on his cheek had darkened and begun to fade already, but she could see that the memory had not.

Alex's thoughts were broken by the happy sounds of Bo as he came out of the campanile.

"She's gone! She's gone!" he cried out, running up to Alex, who immediately let her hand fall to her side.

"Is she? Well, then we've got the rest of the day to ourselves." she smiled, gathering Bo up in her arms, placing him on her hip and turning with Scipio to watch the rest of the group file out of the double wooden doors.

* * *

_"Ladro"-"Thief" _


	8. otto

**Chapter 8**

The rest of their day was spent wandering the Venetian streets, which could prove rather daunting to a tourist but was nothing out of the ordinary for the children.

Hornet and Mosca broke away from the group immediately to gather some supplies with the last of their emergency money. Riccio became lost in a crowd of German tourists somewhere near the Doge's Palace hardly minutes after leaving San Marco's, and the remaining group decided that he would most likely return to the Star-Lounge on his own, so they continued on without him. Alex held tight to Bo's hand as they entered the marketplace close to the Arsenale, and the two were quickly swept into the crowd. Scipio and Prosper perused the stands until Alex and Bo found them again, both carrying bags of groceries.

"I don't know how you do that." Scipio said aloud, though he knew he'd get no real explanation out of her. True to form, she ignored this statement and instead stared dreamily up at the Porta Magna that stood in front of them, with the large stone lions keeping watch over the marketplace. Bo seemed to share in her reverence for just a second, before the shifting feet of the other two brought them back to reality.

"C'mon, we've had enough exploring today, we should get back to the Stella." Alex said suddenly, turning on her heel and heading away with Bo still hanging on her arm. Nonplussed, the boys followed in her wake.

* * *

Back at the Star-Lounge, Hornet, Riccio and Mosca were waiting. They paused only long enough to express gratitude for the groceries they brought before whisking them away to be turned into a meal. Prosper took Bo upstairs to change him out of his dampened jacket, while Alex headed to the box with the two remaining shopping bags.

Scipio followed.

"How do you manage to get all these things?" He asked, leaning against the opening of the box, watching her as she set down her bags. Again she ignored his question and instead handed him something from one of the bags.

Scipio recognized that it was a rather nice looking quilt.

"This is for you," she said. He looked at the blanket in his hands, then at her with questioning in his eyes.

"You hog blankets," she explained with a very light tone, before pushing past him to go downstairs. He looked again at the blanket, them laughed.

* * *

The following morning Scipio woke to an empty bed again, but he was not alone in the room.

"I can't fathom how you sleep so much. You miss everything!" Alex chuckled; she sat in the corner with a blanket wrapped around her feet and a book in her hand.

"What did I miss?" he asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and realizing that he had forgotten decency when climbing into the bed alone last night. Now he wished, more then anything, that he had his shirt and pants on.

"Prop, Riccio and Bo have already gone to Redbeards, to retrieve the letter. They should be back soon," she said, returning to her book with a subdued smile. Scipio took this chance to reach for his clothes, which had been folded neatly and laid by his head (something not of his doing) and pull them on all while lying beneath his new comforter. Once done, he climbed out from under the sheets.

"So, what have you brought us for breakfast this morning?" he asked, grabbing his coat from the same pile where his clothes had been and pulling it on.

"Nothing," she replied coolly, putting the book down after earmarking the page.

"Then what's for breakfast?" he asked, rather surprised by the idea of an actual breakfast-less morning.

"Cosi differenti," she said, putting her hand up to him in hopes that he would help her up off of the ground.

He did, and they both walked down to the dining table, which was set out in the remainders of their previous meals. As they sat down, the door chime rang. Scipio watched as Mosca ran to open the door and let the freezing trio inside. While Prosper and Riccio attempted to stomp the cold out of their bodies, Bo came bounding up to the table to hug Alex.

"So what is the word?" Scipio asked, as Riccio and Prosper took places at the table.

"The Sacca della Miserecordia. 1 AM," Prosper said, taking hold of a piece of bread from the table.

"Tomorrow?" Alex asked.

"Tomorrow." Riccio and Prosper said in unison, mouths stuffed with bread.

* * *

_"Cosi differenti""Different things" _

_I've fleshed out most of the remaining chapters, and it looks like there's going to be thirteen in total. I would like to apologize for this chapter in particular because it's awful and I realize that. It was even worse when I looked at it this morning and it took me all day just to fix it up to what it is now. Try consider this chapter just a filler and not a monument to my writing skills in general :c)-Pip_

_ p.s. to everybody who's left reviews: THANKS! You rock. It makes me keep updating, every time you guys give me feedback. 333  
_


	9. nove

Chapter 9 

By next nightfall it was agreed, Hornet and Bo would stay at the Stella while the rest of the group joined Signora Sparvento to meet with the Conte. Bo protested this setup, but in the end was coaxed by Alex's promise of a cake if he were to behave.

The city was growing colder by the minute, and everyone had to bundle up extra well for the boat ride out there. Ida had leant them her small boat, under the condition that she was to be there for the transaction, hidden beneath a pile of blankets and the bow of the boat. The only one who was not bundled tightly was Scipio, who steered the boat towards the Sacca della Miserecordia with a stern, determined look. As they neared the arranged meeting place, Alex stood next to him.

"You think you'll be more convincing if you pretend like the cold doesn't faze you?" Scipio couldn't really respond, he wasn't sure either way. Alex shrugged.

"Well, you can't forget this." she said, holding up his black beaked mask for him to see. He looked at the mask, then her, then smiled. She returned his smile and proceeded to tie the mask to his face herself.

"There," she whispered into his ear, her chin resting on his shoulder.

"Thief Lord or not, at least you will look the part," she kissed his cheek.

"Buona fortuna." The touch of her lips burned hot on his cheek, and Scipio could feel a swell of resolve coming from deep within his chest, it washed over his body like warm water. Minutes later two boats met in the middle of the dark water. But the children could not know what was to come.

-

After Ida had dropped them off, the group was all smiles and joy over their conquest. That was, until they came upon the Star-Palace. Police tape marked off the front door, and panic filled the hearts of them all. As Mosca and Riccio searched the Stella, top to bottom, Scipio, Prosper and Alex sat on the apron of the stage. They knew what had happened, and were not naïve enough to see the reality of it.

"I failed him." Prosper said, putting his face into his hands. Alex put a hand on his back in comfort.

"We'll get them back, get them both back." she promised, all the while looking to Scipio as though he would know how to fix it all.

"We'll have to find somewhere else to stay, for tonight." Riccio said, as he came down the stairs to the main room. Scipio, who'd been deep in though looked up at them with a sigh.

"Yes, you must find somewhere to sleep, then find Victor Getz. This sounds like his doing. I'm going to find out what they did with Hornet and Bo," he said.

Alex was wide eyed.

"You're going back home?" she asked quietly. He nodded, forcing himself to look brave, though he knew she saw right through him. But Alex said nothing, as he helped them collect blankets and led them out of the Stella. The remnants of the group would spend the night in one of the many churches closed while undergoing construction, while Scipio returned to his father.


	10. dieci

**Chapter 10**

In the morning, Scipio returned to the church bearing news of the missing two, among other things.

"What happened?" Alex asked, walking slowly with Scipio out from behind the dilapidated altar where the children had slept. Scipio only shook his head. Alex stalled for something else to say, finally tugging at his tailored jacket and saying

"I like this look-" but she stopped when he flinched.

"Che cosa è esso?" she asked, quietly though with evident panic in her voice. Again he shook his head, watching the others gather up the few blankets they had brought with them.

"Tell me!" she hissed, under her breath still so as not to startle the others. Scipio did not answer immediately, instead he waited until the three boys had passed them before leading her behind an extremely large buttress, which successfully blocked them from view of anyone who might re-enter the church. He carefully unbuttoned his jacket and pulled up the shirt underneath to reveal a massive bruise, already a painful shade of violet and immensely swollen.

"Happy!?" he asked, his words icy but the pain evident on his face.

"Of course I'm not happy, how could you ask that?" Alex was hurt by such an implication, as Scipio pulled the shirt back down and began to re-button his jacket.

"What did he do?" She added, when he did not immediately reply.

"I showed up at the house, and he hit me." he replied, trying to regain a little honor by putting on a nonchalant face.

"He did that by hitting you?" She asked, rather impressed.

"No, that's from when he kicked me." Scipio replied, brushing past her roughly on his way out. She wanted to say something, to make him feel better. But instead she simply followed him out of the church.

* * *

The children made their way to Victor's office, Scipio had begun talking wildly of his plans to ride the merry-go-round while Alex did her best to take Prosper's mind off the lack of his little brother. Outside of the snoops office, they waited, Prosper leading the pack with a bat in hand. But when their attempt to intimidate Victor failed, they allowed themselves to be led up to his office. It was then that Victor revealed the Conte's money was fake. Riccio and Mosca flew into a rage, while Scipio kept ashamedly quiet.

"I suggest we find Signora Spavento, she may be able to help us sort this out." Victor suggested, a look of deep respect for these world-worn kids resonating in his eyes.

On their way to Ida's, the children stopped at the Stella one last time to collect their personal items and Bo's kittens. At Casa Spavento, Mosca recanted the wretched story to Ida while the others, even the overweight housekeeper, listened in silence.

"This is really all my fault. I shouldn't have let you children keep the wing." Ida despaired, once Mosca had finished.

"It's too late for shouldnt's." Prosper said sullenly.

"What's important now is getting Hornet and Bo back." Alex said, in a rush to dispel the crushing anxiety that filled the empty spaces between the group. Scipio placed a comforting hand on her back, causing Alex to look over at him and give the most pathetic look he had ever seen. Somehow, Scipio had failed to realize the effect that all this was having on their new friend.

"Bo is with the prickly Aunt and Uncle, that is for sure. But where could Hornet be?" Victor frowned. Ida seemed deep in thought, until she spoke.

"The Merciful Sisters. That's where they took me when I was caught living in an abandoned house in Carneggio." Victor nodded his approval of this theory, though he showed minor surprise at this revelation.

Ida frowned again.

"Does anybody know her real name?"

* * *

Retrieving Hornet from the Merciful Sisters was incredibly easy. The same could not be said for Bo, who was kept under the watchful eye of a Nanny at all hours of the day. Scipio was worried because Alex was worried about Prosper being too worried about Bo, so in attempt to keep her at ease, Scipio stayed the night with them at Casa Spavento, sensing that his problems with his father only pained her more. But he wouldn't complain, a night away from his father in the company of his only friends was just fine with him.

Ida had been adamant about the children staying in her house, and they had been more then happy to accept her offer. But the next morning, Scipio returned to 223 Fondamenta Bollani. Scip and Alex's goodbyes were very stiff but not without real feeling. Alex didn't show it, but deep down she was praying with all her might that he'd return to them unharmed. Ultimately her prayers would fall on deaf ears.


	11. undici

**Chapter 11**

Scipio returned that very night, scaling the slippery tile roofs of Venice to creep into the Casa Spaventa. His goal was to find Prosper, but he soon discovered that the boy wasn't sleeping in the room with the others.

As he quietly tiptoed around the air mattresses that held Mosca and Hornet, he saw Alex sleeping on the left side of the only two beds in the room, which had been pushed together. Next to her slept Riccio, clutching a brand-new stuffed animal to his chest. Scipio crept to the side of the bed, so that he could get a better look at Alex in the pale light that shone through a lone window above her head. He had never seen her sleep, all these weeks; he had even begun to doubt that she slept at all, but here was his proof. Her frown told Scipio of a troubled dream, a dream whose contents he couldn't possibly fathom. Realizing he was staring, he averted his eyes to the foot of the bed, and was warmed by the sight of Bo's little kittens curled at both Riccio and Alex's feet. He was startled when he heard a very soft voice.

"Salve."

His eyes flickered back up to Alex's face, where he saw that she was awake, the soft look of dreams, as bad as they may have been, still drifting across her eyes.

"Buonasera." Scipio replied, sitting down gently on the bed.

As the sleep faded from her face, she sat up more quickly.

"What is it? What's happened?" she asked in a hurried whisper.

"Nothing's happened. Go back to sleep." he whispered back. But Alex didn't lie back down.

"Why are you here, Scipio?" she asked, staring deep into his eyes.

She was always very direct when she spoke, never throwing her words out there to be misinterpreted, he had notice she never used names. When he heard his name roll off of her lips, it ignited a strange, almost painful sensation that burned softly somewhere between his heart and his stomach.

"To get Prop. But he's not here. Do you know where he is?" he replied, feeling it was better to just tell the truth and deal with the consequences in turn.

"No. I didn't realize he was gone. Where are you going?"

Scipio felt as though her green eyes would bore holes into his skull if he didn't answer her.

"I'm going to ride the merry-go-round. I'm going to get older." He said, trying to sound proud though he didn't feel all that proud at the moment. It was those eyes.

Alex was quiet for a second, looking as though she was trying to translate the words he had just said into a language she understood.

"Idiot!" She said, louder now, almost in a hiss. Riccio stirred in his sleep, turning onto his side and resuming his quiet snore.

"Have you even thought about what you're saying? Do you even understand what growing up means?" Alex asked, resuming her whisper.

"Growing up means not having to do as my father says. Growing up means being able to get away from him and that big empty house." He grimaced, bracing himself for a scathing lecture.

But something unexpected happened, which took Scipio completely by surprise. Alex's face softened into something very similar to sadness.

"You can get away, you don't have to grow up to do that." She said, the emotion he had seen in her face quite evident in her voice.

In response, Scipio relaxed a little, attempting to wrap his mind around the idea, to humor her.

"No. My father will have Venice turned inside out if I just up and disappear, and he'll find me. But he'll be looking for his 15 year-old-son, not a grownup. That's why I need the Merry-Go-Round, don't you see?" Alex knew that he wanted her to understand, desperately, but she was just as determined to stop him as he was to accomplish this task.

"If I grow up, I can really take care of the gang. I can get a job and a real house and we can stick together." He continued, fumbling with the familiar beaked mask that lay in his lap.

"Ida is willing to take care of the gang, she's willing to take care of you too."

Scipio only shook his head.

"Prop needs to grow up so he can take care of Bo, I need to do it to take care of you guys." The softness in Alex's face turned to fire.

"Stop treating them, us, like children Scip! You are just as much, if not more a child then anybody here. You're 15 and you act as though you are oh-so world-weary. You think you can see it all, but you see nothing! Not even what's right in front of you." She whispered violently, and Scipio watched as her eyes began to tear up, making them an even brighter shade of green.

The words she spoke, and the tears in her eyes made Scipio's stomach tie in knots, multiple times, and he choked on his words.

"And what is that?" He asked, searching for that arrogant and unfeeling part of him.

"Sono." She said, in an almost inaudible whisper, and suddenly that part of him was unreachable.

When he didn't reply, she continued.

"You don't have to do it, you could run. We could run. Anywhere you want to go I'll go with you, just don't do it." The tears rolled slowly down her cheeks, and Scipio reached up to brush them away, perfunctorily.

There were no words for him to say, his mind a jumbled confusion. Instead he stood up, leaning forward without any real intentions, but she pushed him away. So he headed for the door, in a trance.

"Growing up won't make things better," she said, quite clearly, as he reached the door. He stopped there, listening with his back turned.

"It won't make you wiser, it won't make life easier, and it won't make you happier." She sighed.

Scipio took a step further out the door, when he heard her again.

"You leave now. You do it tonight, don't expect anything from me. I love you, in whatever way you need that to mean. I love you as a friend at the least. But if you go to that merry-go-round, if you ride it I won't forgive you. I apologize ahead of time, but don't expect me to understand something that I don't even think you understand yourself."

He could hear her rustling her blankets, and one of the kittens mewed softly.

"Can't you just support me in my decision, whether you like it or not?" he asked, keeping his back turned to her.

"Not if it means losing you in the process." She replied.

Silently he slipped down the stairs and out of the house to the place where Ida kept her boat. There he found Prosper, and together they took the boat to Isola Seghreta. Alex had exhausted all of her efforts, and he had nothing to say anyways.

For nearly an hour after he left, Alex lay in her bed, crying into her pillow. Alone.

* * *

Sono- "Me" 


	12. dodici

**Chapter 12**

The next morning, Alex woke up rather late. The room was empty, but she could hear voices downstairs. Slowly she pulled on the pants that Ida had given her, a better fit then the last pair, and went over the events of last night in her head. A deep sadness built a cold home right below her breastbone, but she ignored it.

As she walked down the stairs towards the kitchen, her heart began to beat wildly. Her greatest fear was that she would find a grown up Scipio in the kitchen. What would she do then? What could she do? But as she came into the kitchen, she found only Hornet and Ida sitting at the table.

"Where are the boys?" Alex asked, a small wave of relief washing over her before another wave of anxiety crashed down.

"The Hartleibs called late last night to tell Victor that Bo had run away again, so Victor went out and found him."

At this a large smile cracked over Alex's face, but she allowed Ida to continue.

"Bo's safe, sleeping in my room. But we can't seem to find Prosper, the boys have gone out looking for him." Ida explained.

Hornet appeared to be gathering thoughts like fish in a pond, with a very concentrated look. Alex looked at her for a moment, then to Ida.

"Prosper is with Scipio, they went to the Merry-Go-Round." Alex said, pulling up a chair.

"That would explain where your boat has gone." Hornet said to Ida, wiping a hand across her face to rid herself of bleary eyes. Ida nodded.

"I imagined it was something like that-" she didn't get to finish her sentence as Riccio and Mosca came barging into Casa Spavento through the kitchen door.

"We looked everywhere, Piazza San Marco, the Rialto, the Sandwirth and nearly every pasticceria shop in Venice." Riccio said breathlessly, sitting down with a loud thump next to Alex.

"There is no need, we've discovered where he's gone." Ida frowned and bit her lip. "We've really got nothing to do but wait. I suppose I could make you guys some breakfast." Without a response from any of the children, she stood up and disappeared into the pantry.

* * *

Breakfast was short, neither Hornet nor Alex had much of and appetite and so Mosca and Riccio made short work of the eggs and sausage. Alex chose to collect the plates and busy her self with the washing up, while the others moved into the living room. She had barely cleaned two plates when she heard the front door open, and a strong commotion coming from the entrance hall. Maybe the Hartleibs had found out about Bo…or the boys were back. Either way, she couldn't bring herself to leave the kitchen. 

The sound of the kitchen door opening told her that it didn't matter. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Scipio's black mask land soundly on the kitchen table. She froze, as her heart rose into her throat and pounded a loud rhythm on her chest.

"I'm back." She heard him say, in a half-whisper.

"I noticed." she replied, without turning around. If there had been any change, she couldn't tell by his voice. His demeanor was different though, much softer, much more direct.

"Are you going to look at me?" he asked, and she thought she heard him take a step forward. It was hard to tell, with the sound of her heart pounding in her ears.

"Do I even want to?" Alex asked, wishing she could shut her eyes tight and make it all disappear.

Then something touched her hand, making her jump. She felt strong fingers close tightly around her own, and begin to pull her around. She gave in, turning to look at him. The plate she had been holding in her other hand crashed to the ground with a wet shattering noise, but Alex hardly noticed.

* * *


	13. tredici

**Chapter 13**

"W-w-what changed your mind?" Alex asked, looking straight into his face.

Scipio smiled, that familiar smile which made her feel so comfortable.

"I don't really know what it was, exactly," he replied, "we got there and Prop didn't want to go on. He said that Bo didn't want him to be grown up just as much as he didn't want to be-"

Alex listened with rapt attention.

"-And even though I still had thoughts about taking a ride, to ensure my freedom, I also thought about how you promised to come with me if I had to run...and.…" he blushed a little. "Well, then Barbarossa showed up, so we let him ride first. He broke the merry-go-round!"

Alex laughed.

"If you had to run…?" She asked. Though he didn't let on that he was embarrassed, his look did soften.

"Well, I realized that if I grew up, yes I'd be able to get away from my father, but I'd be giving up everything that ever made me want to leave him in the first place. The Stella-gang, the freedom, you." he paused. "Especially you. The thought that you would never forgive me was nearly unbearable. I met you at a time when nobody else in the world believed in me, but you did. You always did, no matter how ridiculous my ideas were. As much as you couldn't forgive me for growing up, I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself for disappointing you." he took a deep breath, as if that had all been very difficult to say.

Tears rolled down Alex's cheeks, but she still smiled. Scipio laughed, a soft laugh.

"Come here," he said, pulling her closer and wrapping his arms around her.

She beamed up at him, tilting her neck just a little to plant a kiss on his lips. He had known her only a week, but he had thought about this often, and couldn't resist smiling into the kiss. But they were interrupted by a high-pitched voice coming from the kitchen door.

"Scip's back!" Bo cried, causing the two of them to break apart.

"Hi Bo." Scipio replied, grinning.

As Alex picked up the boy, he stared at Scipio.

"But you're not any older either. I thought Prop said the Merry-go-Round worked." Bo noted, throwing his head to the side a bit.

"I decided I didn't want to grow up." Scipio said plainly.

"What made you change your mind?" Bo asked.

"A few things." he glanced at Alex as he said this, and she smiled. Bo smiled as well, unsure why, and chewed thoughtfully on a piece of bread that Alex had given him.

"Well, I'm glad. I like the not-grown-up you a lot better." They laughed.

* * *

_I realize that this is not a terribly fascinating ending. That's probably because there's a second story on it's way. Could be some time though. I hope it wasn't too bad though :o) Thank you everyone for your support and suggestions, they were greatly appreciated. _

_ Until next time,  
Pip _


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